| Patent application number | Description | Published |
|---|
| 20090256757 | SLOT ANTENNAS FOR ELECTRONIC DEVICES - Slot antennas are provided for electronic devices such as portable electronic devices. The slot antennas may have a dielectric-filled slot that is formed in a ground plane element. The ground plane element may be formed from part of a conductive device housing. The slot may have one or more holes at its ends. The holes may affect the impedance characteristics of the slot antennas so that the length of the slot antennas may be reduced. For example, the holes can be used to synthesize the impedance of the slot antennas so that the slot antennas have a resonant frequency that is different from their natural resonant frequency. The holes may affect the impedance of the slot antennas in multiple radio-frequency bands. | 10-15-2009 |
| 20090262029 | ANTENNAS FOR WIRELESS ELECTRONIC DEVICES - Antenna window structures and antennas are provided for electronic devices. The electronic devices may be laptop computers or other devices that have conductive housings. Antenna windows can be formed from dielectric members. The dielectric members can have elastomeric properties. An antenna may be mounted inside a conductive housing beneath a dielectric member. The antenna can be formed from a parallel plate waveguide structure. The parallel plate waveguide structure may have a ground plate and a radiator plate and may have dielectric material between the ground and radiator plates. The ground plate can have a primary ground plate portion and a ground strip. The ground strip may reflect radio-frequency signals so that they travel through the dielectric member. The antenna may handle radio-frequency antenna signals in one or more communications bands. The radio-frequency antenna signals pass through the dielectric member. | 10-22-2009 |
| 20100073241 | CAVITY ANTENNA FOR WIRELESS ELECTRONIC DEVICES - Wireless portable electronic devices such as laptop computers are provided with cavity-backed monopole antennas. A wireless device may have a housing. Conductive portions of the housing such as a conductive outer metal layer and internal frame structures may form a cavity having conductive walls. An antenna resonating element structure may be formed from monopole antenna resonating element arms of dissimilar lengths. One of the arms may be straight and another of the arms may be implemented using a meandering path. The antenna resonating element may be mounted over the cavity to form a cavity-backed monopole antenna. A display within the device may be covered by a cover glass. An opaque bezel region around the periphery of the cover glass may cover the antenna and block it from view. The antenna resonating element arms may run parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cavity. | 03-25-2010 |
| 20100073242 | CLUTCH BARREL ANTENNA FOR WIRELESS ELECTRONIC DEVICES - Wireless portable electronic devices such as laptop computers are provided with antennas. An antenna may be provided within a clutch barrel in a laptop computer. The clutch barrel may have a dielectric cover. Antenna elements may be mounted within the clutch barrel cover on an antenna support structure. There may be two or more antenna elements mounted to the antenna support structure. These antenna elements may be of different types. A first antenna element for the clutch barrel antenna may be formed from a dual band antenna element having a closed slot and an open slot. A second antenna element for the clutch barrel antenna may be formed from a dual band antenna element of a hybrid type having a planar resonating element arm and a slot resonating element. Flex circuit structures may be used in implanting the first and second antenna elements for the clutch barrel antenna. | 03-25-2010 |
| 20100073243 | WIRELESS ELECTRONIC DEVICES WITH CLUTCH BARREL TRANSCEIVERS - Wireless portable electronic devices such as laptop computers are provided with antennas and radio-frequency transceiver circuitry. Antenna structures and transceiver circuitry may be provided within a clutch barrel in a laptop computer. The clutch barrel may have a dielectric cover. Antenna elements may be mounted within the clutch barrel cover on an antenna support structure. The antenna support structure may be mounted to a metal housing frame. The metal housing frame may have a tab-shaped extension that serves as a heat sink. The heat sink may draw heat away from the transceiver circuitry. The transceiver circuitry may be coupled to the antenna using a radio-frequency transmission line path that contains microstrip transmission lines or coaxial cable transmission lines. The transceiver circuitry may be coupled to logic circuitry on a laptop computer motherboard using a digital data communications path. | 03-25-2010 |
| 20100156741 | ELECTRONIC DEVICE WITH ISOLATED ANTENNAS - Antennas for electronic devices are provided. First and second antennas may be mounted within an electronic device. Free-space coupling between the first and second antennas may give rise to interference. The first and second antennas may be coupled to a global ground. The global ground may be formed using a conductive member in the electronic device such as a conductive frame member. Signals that pass between the antennas through the global ground may serve as canceling signals that reduce the magnitude of free-space interference signals and thereby improve antenna isolation. The antennas may be coupled to the global ground using electrical paths or through near-field electromagnetic coupling. Coupling efficiency to the global ground may be enhanced by configuring the conductive traces of one or both of the antennas to form a resonant circuit. | 06-24-2010 |
| 20100231460 | INVERTED-F ANTENNA WITH BANDWIDTH ENHANCEMENT FOR ELECTRONIC DEVICES - An inverted-F antenna is provided that has a resonating element arm and a ground element. A shorting branch of the resonating element arm shorts the resonating element arm to the ground element. An antenna feed that receives a transmission line is coupled to the resonating element arm and the ground element. One or more impedance discontinuity structures are formed along the resonating element arm at locations that are between the shorting branch and the antenna feed. The impedance discontinuity structures may include shorting structures and capacitance discontinuity structures. The impedance discontinuity structures may be formed by off-axis vertical conductors such as vias that pass through a dielectric layer separating the antenna resonating element arm from the ground element. Capacitance discontinuity structures may be formed from hollowed portions of the dielectric or other dielectric portions with a dielectric constant that differs from that of the dielectric layer. | 09-16-2010 |
| 20100321249 | ANTENNAS FOR WIRELESS ELECTRONIC DEVICES - Antenna window structures and antennas are provided for electronic devices. The electronic devices may be laptop computers or other devices that have conductive housings. Antenna windows can be formed from dielectric members. The dielectric members can have elastomeric properties. An antenna may be mounted inside a conductive housing beneath a dielectric member. The antenna can be formed from a parallel plate waveguide structure. The parallel plate waveguide structure may have a ground plate and a radiator plate and may have dielectric material between the ground and radiator plates. The ground plate can have a primary ground plate portion and a ground strip. The ground strip may reflect radio-frequency signals so that they travel through the dielectric member. The antenna may handle radio-frequency antenna signals in one or more communications bands. The radio-frequency antenna signals pass through the dielectric member. | 12-23-2010 |
| 20100321253 | DIELECTRIC WINDOW ANTENNAS FOR ELECTRONIC DEVICES - Logo antennas are provided for electronic devices such as portable computers. An electronic device may have a housing with conductive housing walls. A logo antenna may be formed from an antenna resonating element such as a patch antenna resonating element, a monopole antenna resonating element, or other antenna resonating element structure. A conductive cavity may be placed behind the antenna resonating element. A dielectric antenna window that serves as a logo may be used to cover the antenna resonating element. The dielectric antenna window may be mounted in an opening in the conductive housing walls. A positive antenna feed terminal may be coupled to the antenna resonating element. A ground antenna feed terminal may be coupled to the cavity and portions of the conductive housing walls. The dielectric antenna window may be shaped in the form of a logo. | 12-23-2010 |
| 20100321255 | ANTENNAS FOR ELECTRONIC DEVICES WITH CONDUCTIVE HOUSING - An electronic device may be provided with a conductive housing. The conductive housing may be formed from a metal. Slots may be formed in the housing. The slots may serve as an antenna and may be fed using an antenna feed structure within the electronic device housing. The electronic device may have a frame to which housing structures are attached and may have a stand or other support structure. The frame may be used to mount a display, to support housing walls, to support clutch barrel structures, etc. The slots may be formed in the frame or in a space between the frame and the housing walls. The slots or other antenna structures may also be formed in the stand. Multiple slots may be used together to support operations in two or more communications bands. There may be multiple dual slot antennas in the electronic device. | 12-23-2010 |
| 20100321325 | TOUCH AND DISPLAY PANEL ANTENNAS - Electronic devices such as computers and handheld devices are provided. The electronic devices may have electrical components such as touch pads and displays. The displays may be touch screen displays. The touch pads and touch screen displays may be formed from touch panels having touch sensors mounted to a planar dielectric member. The displays may be formed from light-emitting structures mounted to a planar dielectric member. The planar dielectric members in the touch panels and displays may have one or more antenna traces that form antennas for the electronic devices. Electrical connectors such as spring-loaded pins, springs, and flexible transmission line structures may be used to form radio-frequency signal paths between the antenna traces on a planar dielectric member and radio-frequency transceiver integrated circuits mounted on a circuit board in an electronic device. The electronic device may have conductive housing walls to which the planar dielectric member is mounted. | 12-23-2010 |
| 20110006953 | CAVITY ANTENNAS FOR ELECTRONIC DEVICES - Antennas are provided for electronic devices such as portable computers. An electronic device may have a housing in which an antenna is mounted. The housing may have an antenna window for the antenna. The antenna window may be formed from dielectric or from antenna window slots in a conductive member such as a conductive wall of the electronic device housing. An antenna may have an antenna resonating element that is backed by a conductive antenna cavity. The antenna resonating element may have antenna resonating element slots or may be formed using other antenna configurations such as inverted-F configurations. The antenna cavity may have conductive vertical sidewalls and a conductive rear wall. The antenna cavity walls may be formed from conductive layers on a dielectric antenna support structure. | 01-13-2011 |
| 20110012793 | ELECTRONIC DEVICES WITH CAPACITIVE PROXIMITY SENSORS FOR PROXIMITY-BASED RADIO-FREQUENCY POWER CONTROL - An electronic device may have a housing in which an antenna is mounted. An antenna window may be mounted in the housing to allow radio-frequency signals to be transmitted from the antenna and to allow the antenna to receive radio-frequency signals. Near-field radiation limits may be satisfied by reducing transmit power when an external object is detected in the vicinity of the dielectric antenna window and the antenna. A capacitive proximity sensor may be used in detecting external objects in the vicinity of the antenna. The proximity sensor may have conductive layers separated by a dielectric. A capacitance-to-digital converter may be coupled to the proximity sensor by inductors. The capacitive proximity sensor may be interposed between an antenna resonating element and the antenna window. The capacitive proximity sensor may serve as a parasitic antenna resonating element and may be coupled to the housing by a capacitor. | 01-20-2011 |
| 20110012794 | ELECTRONIC DEVICES WITH PARASITIC ANTENNA RESONATING ELEMENTS THAT REDUCE NEAR FIELD RADIATION - Antennas are provided for electronic devices such as portable computers. An electronic device may have a housing in which an antenna is mounted. The housing may be formed of conductive materials. A dielectric antenna window may be mounted in the housing to allow radio-frequency signals to be transmitted from the antenna and to allow the antenna to receive radio-frequency signals. Near-field radiation limits may be satisfied by reducing transmit power when an external object is detected in the vicinity of the dielectric antenna window and the antenna. A proximity sensor may be used in detecting external objects. A parasitic antenna resonating element may be interposed between the antenna resonating element and the dielectric antenna window to minimize near-field radiation hotspots. The parasitic antenna resonating element may be formed using a capacitor electrode for the proximity sensor. A ferrite layer may be interposed between the parasitic element and the antenna window. | 01-20-2011 |
| 20110050508 | DUAL-BAND CAVITY-BACKED ANTENNA FOR INTEGRATED DESKTOP COMPUTER - An electronic device may have a housing with conductive housing walls. A dielectric antenna window may be formed in an opening in one of the conductive housing walls. A dielectric logo may form the dielectric antenna window. A dielectric support structure may have an outline that matches the dielectric logo. An antenna resonating element for an antenna may be formed on the dielectric support structure. An antenna cavity for the antenna may be formed by a conductive cavity structure. A pattern of voids in the dielectric support structure may reduce dielectric loading for the antenna. The conductive cavity structure may be formed from solderable plated metal. The conductive cavity structure may have a planar lip that is attached to the conductive housing walls using conductive adhesive. Rear wall portions of the conductive cavity structure may be oriented at a non-perpendicular non-zero angle with respect to the planar lip. | 03-03-2011 |
| 20110050509 | CAVITY-BACKED ANTENNA FOR TABLET DEVICE - An electronic device may have a cavity antenna. The cavity antenna may have a logo-shaped dielectric window. An antenna resonating element for the cavity antenna may be formed from conductive traces on a printed circuit board. An antenna resonating element may be formed from the traces. The antenna resonating element may be mounted on an antenna support structure. A conductive cavity structure for the cavity antenna may have a planar lip that is mounted flush with an interior surface of a conductive housing wall. The cavity structure may have more than one depth. Shallower planar portions of the cavity structure may lie in a plane. The antenna resonating element may be located between the plane of the shallow cavity walls and an external surface of the conductive housing wall. | 03-03-2011 |
